Jeff the cabbie

I have a special tenderness for Jeff the cabbie, the first villain in the show. And a damn good one!

Jeff is a taxi driver (probable tribute to masters of their art, Scorcese & De Niro). He is a guy you would hardly notice. Just the back of an head, as he says. Point is, he notices how people think and act. And if, by ill luck, he notices you, that's not good...

Jeff is a dying man. A disease has initiated the countdown. Soon or later, and more likely soon, an aneurysm will end it. Jeff already died a bit inside when his wife got separated and kept their children away from him. He doesn't fight against injustice. But if is to die, he will not be a victim alone. Other will have to taste hazard and how thin the line between life and death is.
That's why he makes to some of his client a fair offer: they just have to choose between two pills. One is safe, the other one poisoned. They choose one, and whatever the choice, Jeff will swallow the other one at the same time.
4 people die.

In his attempts to control chance, Jeff as a trump card: he understands Sherlock. He succeeds at least in one uncommon way: tempting him. A first time, at Baker Street, where John and the police are all present, he makes him come alone, attracting him with the prospect to solve a mystery. Then, when Sherlock is reluctant to play the game, he tempts him with show off (there will be no third temptation -John will make sure of this).

Jeff is getting bored by all those insects around him. Waiting for his own death, he decides to make a hobby of playing with it, cheating it. And what's better, he found a sponsor for this! Someone else is getting bored, another evil genius is enjoying a good murder as much as Sherlock and Jeff do. There is a deal: for each victim, Jeff's children will receive a good amount of money. Sort of dark side of a life insurance...

I really liked Jeff the cabbie, first of all, thanks to Phil Davis wonderful work. This one is a seasoned and gifted actor, able to hide behind the character and make him becoming real, credible. Jeff is not a character for a horror movie, the kind that makes people scream. He is the mundane serial killer that sometimes stroll along the streets of our anonymous cities. A powerful criminal mind hidden inside a casual guy.

The first episode wants to give a taste of what this new Sherlock could give to the audience. As first official villain, Jeff played his part: I wanted to see some more!

See pieces of dialogues between Sherlock & Jeff